Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarette

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a kind of cigarette substitute which is called Ginkgo Biloba L. leaves cigarette. It not only has the function of refreshing, but also is good to people&#39;s health. It avoids the harm which is brought to human bodies by the poisonous substances in tobacco. Because Ginkgo biloba L. leaves contain a large amount of flavenoids and Ginkgolide which are good to human bodies, and these pharmaceutical active ingredients are easy to volatilize and can be absorbed into lung, then good effects will be done. The smoke of this kind of cigarette is soft and dense, and it can prevent and cure hypertension, heart disease, arteriosclerosis and senile dementia disease. This kind of cigarette can be produced by ordinary technology.

TECHNOLOGY FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a kind of cigarette substitute, particularly,a Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarette in order to provide a new kind ofcigarette for society.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many investigations and experiments have proved that smoking is harmfulto people's health.

While all the governments of the world are advocating quitting smokingand making laws to limit the producing and selling of cigarettes,scientists and tobacco technicians are making efforts to study how tolessen the cigarette's harm and develop low harm or harmless cigarettes.It is because of the fact that there are too many smokers, the completeprohibition of smoking has achieved little effect. On social effect andeconomic return, the contradictions, smoking and health, are stillexisting.

In the field of production, the filter technology is usually adopted toeliminate the poisonous substances from cigarettes. Most kinds ofcigarette filters are made of active charcoal fibre or vinegar acidityfibre (see CN2174854Y and CN/088763A). Another method is in connectionwith the cut tobacco itself. That is, to treat the cut tobacco by aspecial process (see CN 1045515A).

However, these ordinary methods mentioned above cannot solve theproblems thoroughly.

To prevent and cure diseases, people have so far developed an Argywormwood leaf cigarette, a Tea cigarette, a Fiveleaf Gynostemma Herbcigarettes and a mixed herbal cigarette which is produced by addingeucalyptus, Dogbance leaf, Pilose Asiabell Root, Wild Mint Herb,Slenderstyle Acanthopanax Root-bark, Changbai Ginseng, Fritillary Bulb,Milkvetch Root, Tremella, Lucid Ganoderma, Radish, Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber,Tall Gastraodia Tuber, Eucommia Bark, Hempleaf Negundo Chastetree, Coraland Ginger into tobacco. However, these cigarettes are not satisfactorywith respect to cost, medical effect, and low poisonousness. People aretrying to develop a new kind of cigarette substitute which issatisfactory in the respects of cost, taste and poisonousness.

Ginkgo biloba L., which is dioecious, is of gymnosperm. It originallygrew in China. Ginkgo biloba L. is the oldest tree species in the world,even older than the dinosaur, so it is called a “live fossil”. It hasgreat vitality. In 1966 German scientist W. Schwabe discovered thatGinkgo biloba L Leaves contain some active substances-Flavonoids andGinkgolide, which can prevent and care for angiocardiopathy and nervesystem diseases. From then on, the modem study on Ginkgobiloba L.Leaves' pharmacological property and application began. Scientificresearchers proved that Ginkgo biloba L. leaves contain a large amountof flavonoids and Ginkgolide A, B and C. Flavonoides are especiallyeffective in curing angiocardiopathy and are widely used at present. Thecan make the sclerosed blood vessels recover elasticity, improve thebrittleness of blood vessels, dilate blood vessels and prevent theatrophy of organ functions caused by the bad circulation of blood.Ginkgolide is a specific platelet activating factor antagonist. (PAF isone of the mediums of the paroxysm of many diseases.) It has thefunctions of making blood active and minimizing the cholesterin contentin blood. It also can be used to prevent and cure the allergic diseasesof breath tract. Bilobalide can straighten out cranial nerve streak andhas the functions of refreshing, resisting fatigue and intensifyingmemory. In 1991, a Harvard scholar won the Nobel Prize for successfullysynthesizing Bilobalide in a laboratory. Scientists and medical expertshave proved by animal experiments that many pharmaceutical substances inGinkgo biloba L. leaves have important effects on deterring senescenceand resisting diseases. Therefore, many developed countries such asAmerica, Korea and some European countries are speeding up to developGinkgo biloba Extract.

In China, several kinds of Ginkgo biloba medicines have been developed.China is the main producing country of Ginkgo biloba L. leaves. However,the development on Ginkgo biloba L. leaves product is still in itsbeginning stages.

Ginkgo biloba L. leaves contain plentiful fibres. The cigarettesubstitute made of dry Ginkgo biloba L. leaves burns continuously andfully. Its ashes are white and fine. Its smoke is soft and dense. Itstaste is good and its smell is fragrant and sweet. Its pharmaceuticalactive ingredients volatilize continuously at the same time of burning.

As a cigarette substitute, the Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarette alsohas obvious function of refreshing, but its principle is different fromthat of the ordinary cigarette. The smoke of the ordinary cigarettecontains nicotine which can stimulate brain nerves and make peoplebecome addicted to it. The smoke of Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarettecontains Bilobalide and other pharmaceutical active ingredients whichcan stimulate the brain nerve and straighten out the cranial nervesystem, thus having function of refreshing and resisting fatigue. Itdoesn't contain any nicotine at all. Therefore, the Ginkgo biloba L.leaves cigarette is not only an excellent cigarette substitute, but alsoan ideal product for quitting smoking. A tobacco addict can successfullyquit smoking with no agony by smoking Ginkgo biloba L. cigarette.

In view of the above-mentioned factors, Ginkgo biloba L. leaves can begood for human bodies. It contains the pharmaceutical active ingredientswhich can volatize easily and its smokable property is similar totobacco cigarette, so it is hopeful that it will take the place of thecigarette which contains nicotine.

A poisonousness-reduced cigarette and its producing process aredisclosed in reference CN1140036A. This kind of cigarette contains thesolution extract of Ginkgo biloba L. leaves, Leech, Szechwan LovageRhizome and three other substances. What is worth mentioning is that thesubstances mentioned above are sprayed onto the cut tobacco in the formof a solution.

After the long-period study of the inventor, a kind of Ginkgo biloba L.leaves cigarette has been developed. The raw material is Ginkgo bilobaL. leaves, containing little or no tobacco. Therefore it is good forpeople's health and is completely different from the cigaretteintroduced in reference CN1140036A. As mentioned above, the cigarette'sraw material of the latter is tobacco, and the solution extract issprayed onto its surface. It is obvious that the nicotine content cannot be lowered at all.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to produce a Ginkgo biloba L. leavescigarette using Ginkgo biloba L. leaves and to provide people with akind of cigarette substitute which has the functions of the ordinarycigarette, while it is good for people's health. It will help people getaway from tobacco and avoid the harm brought by smoking. Ginkgo bilobaL. leaves are the main material of this kind of cigarette, and, ifnecessary, tobacco or other tobacco-used herbs can optionally be addedtherein according to special requirements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of this invention is to pick fresh Ginkgo biloba L.leaves from trees, process them into threads, then replace tobacco with100 wt % dry material of this kind. Another embodiment is to blend dryGinkgo biloba L. leaves with a percentage of more than 50 weight andtobacco or other tobacco-used herbs with a percentage of less than 50weight together.

The process therefor includes producing pure Ginkgo biloba L. leavescigarette or complex Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarette by means of theordinary process for producing cigarette.

EXAMPLE 1

Use dry processed Ginkgo biloba L. leaves, flue-cure them, then cut theminto threads after being moist-cured by means of the ordinary processfor producing cigarettes.

The pure Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarette is produced by this method.

EXAMPLE 2

Use dry processed Ginkgo biloba L. leaves, flue-cure them, then cut theminto threads or pieces after being moist-cured. Using the ordinary cigarwrappers, the Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigar can be produced.

EXAMPLE 3

Use dry processed Ginkgo biloba L. leaves 50 Kg, cut them into threadsor pieces after being moist-cured, then add ordinary tobacco 5 Kg, thenblend them together. By means of the ordinary process for producingcigarettes, the mixed cigarettes can be produced.

EXAMPLE 4

Use processed Ginkgo biloba L. leaves 50 kg, cut them into threads orpieces after moist-cured, then add wild mint or Fiveleaf Erynostemma 15kg, then blend them together, add therein different scent of perfumesand accretions if needed. By means of the ordinary process for producingcigarette, another mixed cigarette can be produced.

TEST EXAMPLE 1

1. Object of the Test

To test mouse peroral toxicity of Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarette.

2. Material and Method: Horn Method is Adopted

Use Mice of Qunming (a province of China) species provided by standardanimal laboratory, 18˜21 g weight, and half male and half female. Thesamples to be tested are made up with distilled water, orally filledinto the stomach in one dose, and observe them for one week.

3. Result

dosage 10000 4640 2150 1000 mg/Kg female 0/5 0/5 0/5 0/5 male 0/5 0/50/5 0/5

Adopting Horn method, th e result is as below: LD50 of this sample ishigher than 10000 mg/Kg.

4. Conclusion: The Sample is Non-toxic

Test Example 2: Flue gas analysis.

Test Content: Nicotine content.

Based Standards of Test: GB/T5606.1 5606.2-1996

GB5606.3-5606.6-1996

YC/T28.28.12-1996

Average Smoke Times: 14.6

Moisture Content (mg/cigarette): 2.24

Nicotine (mg/cigarette): 0.00

Conclusion: There is no nicotine in the smoke.

Industrial Applicability

Because the flavolides, Ginkgolide and bilobalide contained in Ginkgobiloba L. leaves are easy to volatilize, and while the cigarette isburning the temperature is becoming lower and lower from the burning endto the filter, the pharmaceutical active ingredients contained in thecigarette can volatilize with smoke before being destroyed by beingoverheated. These ingredients are absorbed into the human body and gointo the blood circulation by the lung. Smoking Ginkgo biloba L. leaveshave obvious effects on preventing hypertension and angiocardiopathy,recovering from fatigue, refreshing, stimulating appetite and improvingsleep. Long-term smoking of this kind of cigarette substitute canprevent and cure senile dementia disease, hypertension, heart disease,arteriosclerosis, cerebral and brain function failing. It is helpful tointensify memory, build up a good physique and deter senescence.

The pure Ginkgo biloba L. leaves cigarette has a good taste, the passivesmoker can easily smell its fragrance. As containing no tobacco, it canavoid the harm brought by nicotine and can be used as an ideal productfor quitting smoking the tobacco cigarette.

Therefore, the invention of Ginkgo biloba L. leaves is very important tosolve the problems of smoking and passive smoking. The Ginkgo biloba L.leaves can be picked artificially. The cigarettes can be produced withordinary technology. What is more important is that its application canbring us great social effects and economic returns.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cigarette comprising a main body and a filterattached to one end of the said main body, wherein the said main bodycomprises 50-100% by weight Ginkgo biloba leaves.
 2. A cigaretteaccording to claim 1, wherein the main body comprises more than 90% byweight Ginkgo biloba leaves.
 3. A cigar comprising burnable material,wherein the burnable material comprises 50-100% by weight Ginkgo bilobaleaves.
 4. A cigar according to claim 3, wherein the burnable materialcomprises more than 90% by weight Ginkgo biloba leaves.
 5. A method forquitting smoking comprising the step of smoking a cigarette comprising amain body and a filter attached to the said main body, wherein the mainbody comprises 50-100% by weight Ginkgo biloba leaves.
 6. A methodaccording to claim 5, wherein the said main body comprises more than 90%by weight Gingko biloba leaves.